The invention pertains to a device for dividing the storage space behind a seat in a vehicle. The interior space of a vehicle is defined both by its volume and also by the extent to which that volume can actually be used. The volume itself results from the configuration of the interior space, which is determined by the various interior components such as the seats. The storage space behind the backrests of the seats is what primarily determines the usefulness of that volume.
In the known device of the type in question, the floor of the storage space consists of a cover panel, which normally seals off a recessed well in the floor of the vehicle (company brochure: Daimler-Benz AG, VP/KW 6701xc2x71403xc2x700-00/00897, xe2x80x9cThe Mercedes-Benz A Classxe2x80x9d, pp. 36 and 37). The visible side of this cover panel is lined with carpeting, which continues forward along the floor of the vehicle underneath the seat. As a result, a so-called xe2x80x9cfilm hingexe2x80x9d is created by the carpet at the transition point underneath the seat between the cover panel and the floor of the vehicle. When the cover panel is flipped up while the seat is in its normal position, the cover panel strikes the backrest of the seat. Although it is then possible to use the lower storage space in the well underneath the cover panel to hold cargo, the panel is not secured in its flipped-up position. It is therefore necessary to tie the flipped-up cover panel in position with a cord, for example. To obtain a large storage space, both the seat part and the backrest must be repositioned twice from their normal positions. It is impossible to move the cover panel into a position beyond its flipped-up position, however, because this would put too much stress on the hinge formed by the carpet. In any case, the interior of the vehicle becomes highly unattractive when the cover panel is flipped up, for which reason the flipped-up position is used only when necessary, never under normal conditions. Under normal conditions, therefore, one makes do with the partial space above the cover panel covering the recessed well. The well is usually used only to store important tools for the vehicle such as tools for changing flat tires, which are gladly kept out of sight by the cover panel over the well.
In a modified device, in which the various sub-spaces are not combined into a single, large storage space when the cover panel is in its non-storage position (DE 198 02 077 A1), an insert is used to move the cover panel from its low, normal level to a higher level. The idea of this insert is to bring the floor of the storage space up to a level which matches the loading edge of the trunk opening of the vehicle. This device is expensive and occupies too much space. The insert is a product which must be manufactured separately, and it also occupies a great deal of space in the vehicle when not being used. If it is stored outside the vehicle, it is not always available when needed. The work involved in adjusting the cover panel is also awkward, because the cover panel must first be removed from its normal position; then the insert must be put in place; and finally the cover panel must then be laid on top of the insert. Disassembly is equally cumbersome.
It is known that the floor of the trunk space of a motor vehicle can be covered by a protective mat (DE 198 20 517 A1). The protective mat consists of several folding sections and side parts, which means that the mat can be folded onto itself several times when not in use and stored in this folded-up state behind the backrest. The folded-up mat is secured in its storage location by a retaining device attached to the mat. That is, the protective mat has a folding retaining part, by means of which the mat can be buttoned to and unbuttoned from the rear surface of the backrest of the vehicle. The protective mat cannot be used to divide the storage space into sub-spaces.
The invention is based on the task of developing a reliable device for dividing the storage space behind a seat, which is attractive when in its storage position and also in its non-storage position, which can be moved conveniently between these two positions, and which can be held reliably in place in both. This is achieved by the features of the present invention, to which the following special meaning attaches:
In the invention, the seat and the cover panel form a structural unit. This structural unit is produced as a complete system by a supplier. The buyer is required merely to perform the work required to install the seat in the interior of the vehicle. In the flipped-up position, the cover panel lies against the backrest, where it is held in place by retaining means. The cover panel serves in this case, first, as a safety component in the event of a crash: it reinforces the backrest. Especially when damping means are integrated into the cover panel, the cover panel also acts as an acoustic component when in the flipped-up position, which considerably reduces the amount of unpleasant noise in the interior of the vehicle when it is operating. The cover panel can be upholstered on the side opposite that which supports the cargo; when the panel is in the flipped-up position, this upholstered side thus completes the upholstery of the backrest. This improves the damping effect and also increases the degree to which the danger of injury in a crash is reduced. The backrest supports the cover panel after it has been flipped up, and the cover panel forms the rear surface of the backrest of the seat. Regardless of whether the cover panel is in this up position or in its down position, in which it supports the cargo, the object according to the invention always presents a good optical appearance. When the cover panel is moved between the up and the down position, only the panel itself is moved, whereas the seat can usually remain stationary.